Hong Kong Exchange Film Festival

The Hong Kong films completely blew Hunter's films out of the water. From production value to composition, almost every aspect was superior and more interesting to watch. One could argue that the Hunter films, being mainly documentaries were less engaging and drew less attention but even the Hong Kong documentary, "The Yellowing" felt far more emotional and well done. While the Hunter films followed the stories of individuals, "The Yellowing" followed an entire movement and still managed to connect with far more individuals and bring their stories and emotions to light in a manner that left me as an audience member fully captivated and wanting to see more. The Hunter documentaries felt almost shallow, well put together but not much substance, and certainly didn't leave me with the same emotional connection the Hong Kong films did. I can recall several shots and sequences from the Hong Kong films that amazed me but none of the sort from the Hunter documentaries. The shot of the nail going through the board in the film "The Strongest Values of My Homeland" as well as its choreography both that stood out to me. The emotion displayed in the films "Lucky" and "The Dinner" both gave me a strong connection to the protagonists and a desire to see them succeed in their ventures. Scenes involving the mother in "The Dinner" cleaning her son's hands and the father in "Lucky" crying over the loss of his daughter really struck me and were scenes that completely allowed for empathy with the characters and the hardships they were going through. Hunter films such as "The Bayridge Ladies" and "Chula With Invisible Strings" which were meant to give the audience that same kind of empathy and connect with the people in focus failed to do that for me and were just sort of filler for time. They didn't convey that sense of "home" for me while the Hong Kong films did.

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